Another Great Family Trip

Since becoming a parent I have come to understand the distinction between a vacation and a family trip. While both are rewarding and fun... you always feel like you need a vacation after a family trip. Nothing beats listening to kid songs over and over to avoid a major melt down. Truly, Raffi served as our mediator while driving for hours through the Nevada desert. This was the first (and last) time I let Jack pack his own suitcase. Interesting what goes through a 8 year old boy's head when packing the necessities. In the end, I remind myself we won't get to do this forever and this trip will be just another great memory.

First stop San Diego... We stayed at the Hall's house while they were spending time in London. Although it was a bit chilly during our stay we made sure we made it to the beach, Macy's merry-go-round, and Balboa Park. As always we had a fantastic time in San Diego and we will definitely be returning soon.

For the past month Macy had been reminiscing about her last trip to the Carousel at Mission Beach. This was our first stop and she was definitely not disappointed. Jack on the other hand...

He is now to too cool for this, but took one for the team.

We also played tourist and visited San Diego's Old Town. This is another one of those educational and free experiences that both parents and kids enjoy. I thought it was really interesting to learn about San Diego's history, while Jack and Macy enjoyed climbing on everything. It was a win-win situation.

We toured the pueblo museum. This is a replica of their oven. Again, I thought it was interesting and Macy liked that she could climb on it.

The plants are amazing.... Jack really liked this "HUGE piece of asparagus". We dared him to take a bite but he is wising up to us.

The kids loved the covered wagon in the courtyard

And yes, despite it being cold out we headed out to Silver Strand Beach, south of Coronado for some fun in the sand. Nothing screams "Out-of-Towner" than this!!!

Nothing beats burying your child in the sand. Our first thought was to make him look like a mermaid but we took pity and turned him into a fish.

This shot captures the lovely temperature

Me and my baby!

Macy loved the beach too!!!

Bob tried on some new hairdo's... Seaweed Dreads

How about a seaweed mullet???

On day three of San Diego we explored Balboa Park. We went to the science museum, air and space museum, and the railroad museum. This best part is all this sight seeing earned us all a nap when we got back to the house.

Macy getting ready for take off!

Macy and I in the lookout tower

Jack in the NASA exhibit.

Perhaps my favorite outing (which I did not take any pictures of) was the Boat light Parade in the Harbor and touring the neighborhoods and seeing all the Christmas decorations. Jack was shocked that people put up more than one strand of lights on their house. I hope he doesn't expect the same from us next year. While it is not the white holiday season we are used to... San Diego was very festive.

On Christmas Eve, we headed up to see Larry, Marnye, and Ian in Glendale. We had a super visit with Bob's sister and we enjoyed seeing their new home. Jack got to hang out with his teenage cousin and Macy got to visit the Burbank Equestrian Center with Aunt Marnye.

Macy gets acquainted with Carlo

Macy feeds Glados some carrots and cookies. She LOVED the horses.

After saying goodbye to the Langer family we headed North East to Pahrump, Nevada to visit my brother Kevin and his family. I am thankful we were able to see each other for the holidays. Our kids get along smashingly and it was nice to actually have time to visit with the adults. We had a great time and I regretted only staying one night.

Niklas, Jack, Anya, Macy and Ava pause for a picture before opening their presents.

From Pahrump we pressed on through the desert... through valley, past the brothels, and over the ghost towns to grandfather's house. We met up with my Dad for a short Christmas visit.... sorry no pictures : ) and made it safely home. Phew!! I am ready for a VACATION!!!!!

It Looks a Lot Like Christmas

This past weekend we made our pilgrimage up Ice House Road to get a Christmas tree. As always fun was had by all, especially Macy who for the first time is getting into the Christmas spirit. I LOVE this time of year!!

A group shot.. The Mickelson, Leddy, and Little families warming up after finding our trees.

Chris and Bob showing off their machismo.. Who can break their back first pulling a sled full of children?

The truth.. the ladies hang out at the fire pit while everybody else hunts for a tree in the cold. Kim, Lisa, and Danielle stand cozy by the fire.

BACK AT THE HOME FRONT...we decorate our tree!

Our Little Elf gets ready to help out

Maybe helping out isn't the correct wording. Standing right in the middle of the whole operation is more like it. This is one of those times when I realize I am acting like my parents. I kept reminding the kids to settle down.. get out of the boxes because we still have to get the lights on. I remember how much that wait sucked!!!

Finally, we all had our opportunity to weigh down the branches with as many ornaments as possible. Unlike other trees.. ours has no rhyme or reason and is simply filled with sentimental crap. Bob cringes when I put my beloved clothespin nutcracker on the tree. Hey- I made it in first grade and it is bordering on an antique. Furthermore, it is evidence that I have NO artistic talent in my body. BUT I love it anyway!!!

We hope you all are embracing your own family traditions this holiday season and have the opportunity to enjoy time with your loved ones too!!!

GO FISH!!!

We decided after spending days in the house eating and lounging around in our sweats, it was important to get out and blow the stench off ourselves. Speaking of stench, today we had family fun day at Nimbus Fish Hatchery. This is a great place to entertain the children for almost FREE!!! For five cents the kids could feed the fish. I figured they were worth such lavish spending. We spent a good two hours out there and I would highly recommend this excursion to all you other cheapskates out there.

Posing by the fish ladder... I am already an embarrassment to my children : )

Jack and Macy soaking up knowledge in the educational center.

Something is fishy about this picture. Oh, yeah - Macy is actually looking at the camera.

Jack intently feeding the fish

Macy LOVED this and probably would have stayed all day if given the chance. Alas, The Old Spaghetti Factory was calling!

I wonder how many of these cheesy tourist pictures I can take in the coming years? Another must have for the family albums!!!

A Boy and his Cat

Here is an evening ritual... Jack and Humo "sharing" a bed. Actually, it turns out that the cat gets the majority of the bed and Jack gets what is left. I believe Jack wouldn't have it any other way!

Halloween 2008

Although Halloween was a bit soggy this year, the rain did not dampen our spirits. I love the fact that the Jack and Macy really are not into trick or treating and really just like dressing up. We use Halloween as an excuse to visit friends and family. Traditionally, we visit Faye, one of the secretaries at Bob's old job. I LOVE her because she reminds me of my mom. This year she was wearing her Halloween vest and earrings as well as the matching socks! Now if that is not reminiscent of Judy Pearson, I don't know what is!!! After a nice visit with Faye, we trick or treated our neighbors the Houseworths. Their youngest child just joined the Army so I think as empty nesters they enjoy seeing the Little kids. Next we stopped by the Coggins house. Sue and Carl are long time friends of my family and it seems that life just gets going too fast and we seldom touch base. Halloween is a perfect excuse for a visit. To end our night, we drove to Papa and Grandma's for cupcakes. Yep, that's it - only four houses, but my kids seem content with it (thank the lord)... Enjoy the hodgepodge of Halloween pics!!!

On Halloween, our daycare provider allows the children to wear their costumes. With six children under the age of three in her care, this decision to dress up makes her certifiably insane. You may notice Macy wearing her costume from last year. She woke up and was adamant to wear her 2 sizes too small Care Bear suit... whatever it wasn't the battle to fight that morning. Here she is with her buddy Wrenna the monkey.

Nichelle dropping off her girls at the bus stop (her mission: to embarrass her third and first grade daughters... I think she's awesome). Seeing her in her Butterball gown has become a tradition for me. Oh yeah, that's her husband in the background. I prefer to call him the Turkey Pimp.

Theresa, Samantha, and Jack heading home from a wild day at school. Crazy Hair day wipes them out every time! Good thing it was a minimum day.

Jester Jack and Super Girl gearing up for a night on the town.

GENETICS

BOO!

The adults were out last night partaking in some Halloween fun!! There were some great costumes and many seemed even better after Lemon Drops and Jello Shots. You be the judge..

Getting ready for a groovy night out. Bob really knows how to pull off a polyester ensemble! Can you guess who I am yet?

Perhaps a head to toe shot will help you out....

As you can tell, I am part of a trio. Here I am signing autographs for our awaiting fans!!

Charlie's Angels! Carmen (Jaclyn Smith), Kim (Kate Jackson), and Sue (Farrah Fawcett). I must share that these sparkling jumpsuits are the most comfortable outfits. I am crossing my fingers that this fashion trend makes a comeback.

Our dates for the evening... Crazy Larry the Polyester King (Bob), Magnum P.I. (Jake), and the Terminator (Steven)

My vote for best costume was the Gilligan's Island crew. Here is the Skipper and Gilligan enjoying a well deserved drink after a prolonged three hour tour. Mary Ann, Ginger, the Professor, and the Howells were getting down on the dance floor.

The scariest costumes went to Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin

Crazy Larry posing with the Maverick...

It was a GREAT party. Now we can actually concentrate on Halloween for the children!

Good-bye Summer, Hello Fall

I completely forgot I took these first pictures over a month ago during an evening at Sly Park. The Morfords so kindly invited us out for dinner on their boat as the Aquarius has spent the summer in our garage. Oh well there is always next year!!! Who would have known that this outing would be our last taste of summer?

Macy wading in the lake. I am sure it is no secret that I suck at doing my daughter's hair. I call this look the Whale Spout. Look for this hairdo to become a major trend on the catwalk next summer!

Jack back on board after a swim

Needless to say Macy thinks that Greg is the bees knees

Captain Jack steered us safely back to the dock.

Fast forward to the present (and 40 degrees cooler)... Saturday excitement consists of going to Jack's soccer games and cheering on The Thunder. This is Jack's first year playing and I have found it does not pay to raise a kind and polite child when it comes to competitive sports. Bob is also the assistant coach and has discovered his patience level runs thin with 8 and 9 year old boys who would rather be dorks than listen. Despite these learning curves, Jack and Bob seem to be enjoying the experience.

While the first few weeks of the season Jack froze when the ball came to him, he has developed a new technique. As shown in this picture, Jack now opts to kick the ball out of bounds before other players can get close. Note he is also number 1. This by no means reflects his athletic prowess (although I think he believes this is the case). It cracks me up when he say sat the end of the game "I was aggressive today". I must remember to look up aggressive in the dictionary as this term doesn't come to mind when I watch him play.

Jack's favorite position to play is Poser

Just kidding, he can be quite the defender when the occasion arises

Hurray! It was another fun game! The Thunder came in second : ) In this way, they are always very consistent

This happy girl likes to cheer on her brother!